Setting up Your Own Freedom Account

No Water! A Not-So-Uncommon Problem

January 31, 2012 by Grandma 7 Comments

The Hole in the Gospel by Richard Stearns

Imagine my horror when I got out of bed this morning (which will be yesterday by the time you read this) to hear Grandpa say, "No coffee this morning." No coffee??? What's worse than having no coffee? Having no water. That's worse than having no coffee!Our water pump was dead. Grandpa called our plumber while I poured drinking water from the fridge into a saucepan for tea. I would have to put off my shower until later, brush my teeth with icy cold water, and wash my hands with hand sanitizer. Oh, the inconvenience of being without our usual comforts! "Nearly one … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Faith, Finances, Giving, Justice, My Grandma Knows Tagged With: samaritans purse, water

Netflix vs. Amazon Prime

January 30, 2012 by Grandma 8 Comments

Grandma knows that if we want to get the most for our money, we must constantly be evaluating the cost of services we enjoy and their value to us. About six months ago, I subscribed to Netflix, and I have enjoyed being able to watch TV series without commercials. I watch very few movies, and Grandpa watches nothing but sports, so the Netflix expenditure was for me alone. And it was worth the $8 a month we were spending on it. I'd heard of Amazon Prime and their video streaming line, but I'd never looked into it. Until now. On Christmas Day, when I opened my Kindle Fire--a much … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Frugality, My Grandma Knows Tagged With: Amazon, entertainment, Kindle, movies, Netflix

Frugal Friday: Good to the Last Drop

January 27, 2012 by Grandma 3 Comments

Some of these frugal tips will, no doubt, seem elementary to some of you frugal die-hards or fellow cheapskates, but I'm going to share them anyway. It's just possible that we have some newly frugal folks among our readership. Today's tip: Use up every last bit of the things that you buy. Sometimes we have to work a little bit to get the last bit of shampoo out of the bottle or the last bit of toothpaste out of the tube. Speaking of toothpaste, here's a picture of my latest tube of Sensodyne toothpaste. I had gotten to the place where I could not squeeze one more bit of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Frugality, My Grandma Knows Tagged With: cheapskate, frugal, thrift, waste

Your Freedom Account: It’s Ready to Work for You!

January 26, 2012 by Grandma 1 Comment

On Monday, I had an appointment with my eye doctor. Since I was wearing glasses that I had purchased in 2004, I was pretty sure that I was going to be choosing new ones after my appointment. Do you have any idea how much it costs to buy a pair of no-line trifocals with stylish frames that do not look like Grandma glasses? Let me just tell you that new glasses are very expensive! Am I stressed about the total? NO! I'm not stressed because I have enough money in our "Vision Care" category in our FA to cover the cost of my exam and my new glasses. This is the beauty of the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Finances, My Grandma Knows Tagged With: budget, financial freedom, Freedom Account